Family Ties
by Ms Alex James
Summary: How different would everything be if Harry was taken from the Dursleys? read to find out!
1. The Meeting

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything you recognize.

A/N: This is obviously AU, because I really dislike the Dursleys and I honestly think that if Harry Potter grew up in a different home environment, things would have gone very differently.

A/N2: For those of you wondering, 'Live Laugh Love Learn' is on hold, because I haven't written it in a while, and I lost all the notes I made on it. So until I can figure out exactly where it's going, it's on hiatus.

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Chapter One: Meetings

_**October 1985**_

Alannah Munroe looked up from the folder in front of her and shot a glare at the phone. How am I supposed to get any work done with the phone constantly ringing, she thought, reaching for the annoyance.

"Alannah Munroe."

"Ms. Munroe, hello, this is Dan Freeman, from Surrey Elementary School. I was told that you were the one to talk to about one of my kindergarten students…"

* * *

Less than an hour later, Alannah was sitting in the office of Surrey Elementary School, waiting for her first glimpse of five year old Harry Potter. The guidance counselor had told her a few disturbing facts about the child, but she wasn't prepared for the scrawny thing that walked through the door, looking small and sad.

He certainly didn't look like he was five, or that he should have been enrolled in the kindergarten class. Alannah sighed inwardly, and put a smile on her face.

"Hi, Harry. My name is Alannah. Is it okay if we sit and talk for a bit?"

The child bit his lip and looked down at his feet. If she wasn't expecting that kind of reaction, she would have missed the slight nod of his head.

Alannah glanced at Mr. Freeman, then back at the child in front of her. "Why don't we go find a quiet place to talk, okay?"

Another slight nod of the head was all she received, but that was enough for her. She offered her hand to the child. He took it and followed her out of the office, down the hall, and into a small room with a table and chairs.

"Have a seat, Harry."

With out a word, he pulled out one of the chairs and pulled himself up on it. He had yet to say a word or even look up at Alannah, which she noted and filed away to be analyzed at a later date.

Once the guidance counselor left the room, closing the door behind him, Alannah took a minute to fully look at Harry. At first glance, he looked under-nourished. The glasses that sat on his nose looked like they had been broken and repaired with glue and tape more than once. He was pale, which she took to mean he hadn't spent much time outside during the summer months, if any at all. His clothes looked like they were at least two sizes too big, and were probably hand-me-downs, with rips and stains everywhere. Alannah doubted they had been washed in a few days.

"Do you like school?"

Harry shrugged his little shoulders, and picked at something invisible on the table.

"Mr. Freeman says you live with your aunt, uncle, and cousin?"

Harry nodded once.

"Do you like it there?"

Once again, the raven-haired boy shrugged his shoulders.

"You know, Harry, you don't have to be afraid to tell me anything. I'm just here to talk to you. I might even be able to help you, if something's upsetting you."

Two minutes of silence passed before Harry looked up slowly, and met Alannah's eyes. What she saw in them made her feel for the child. She thanked whatever powers there were above, watching over her, keeping her from showing emotion on her face. Never, in her four years of University, and two years working for Social Services, had she ever seen such a look on a small child's face. His bright green eyes looked like they'd seen too much in his life. The dark bags under his eyes told Alannah that this boy hadn't had a decent night's sleep in at least a few weeks, if not longer. Her heart went out to the child. Looks like after this visit she had more than one stop to make.

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Alannah lifted her hand and knocked on the front door of number four, Privet Drive. The house, although it looked small, was nicely taken care of. She was almost sure that the little boy she had met earlier that day was not the nephew of this family. And when the woman with the long neck opened the door, she almost turned and walked away to retrieve the correct address.

"Mrs. Dursley?"

"Yes?"

No such luck, she thought. "My name is Alannah Munroe. I'm a Social Worker with the Ministry. I was hoping I could come in and talk with you about your nephew, Harry."

Petunia Dursley stuttered, and then pulled herself together. "Don't you guys need to make appointments for these things?"

"Under normal circumstances, yes. But I was hoping to get this issue resolved before the end of today."

"Well, come in then, but make it quick, if you don't mind. I have running around to do before the children get home."

Mrs. Dursley showed Alannah to the spacious living room, offered her a seat, and then took a seat on the opposite couch. While Mrs. Dursley sprouted her mouth, talking about her lovely nephew, Alannah chanced a look around. There were numerous pictures of their chubby son, but not a single one of Harry.

After fifteen minutes, she decided she'd had enough, and asked if she could see the boys' bedrooms. Again, Mrs. Dursley got a look on her face, before she replied, "I'm sorry, that's not possible today. I really must be off, appointments to keep and such. Besides… we're having Harry's room redone, so he's been sharing with Dudley for the past few days."

Alannah resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the obvious lie, and allowed herself to be shown out the front door. On her way back to her office, she began making plans. Her heart went out to the little boy with the unloving family. If she hurried, she'd be able to keep him from going back there after school let out for the day.

* * *

At three o'clock on the nose, Alannah was back in the office of the Elementary school, waiting for Harry to be let out of class and brought to the office. In the space of only a few hours, Alannah had been back to the office, had a meeting with her boss and several other workers, had another worker sent to Privet Drive with a search warrant (to check on the living standards of both boys), and been handed temporary guardianship of five year old Harry.

Alannah spotted Mr. Freeman, with the raven-haired boy beside him. She felt the smile tug at her lips.

"Hi, Harry. How was your afternoon?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders, his eyes already concentrating on his grubby shoes.

Kneeling in front of Harry, she gently guided his face until they were looking eye to eye.

"Harry, how would you like to come and stay with me for a while? Almost like a weekend away from home?"

His green eyes got a few shades brighter and almost sparkled. Then he nodded.

With out another word, Alannah nodded at Mr. Freeman, and then took Harry's hand, leading him to her car. She made sure he was buckled in properly in the backseat, and then she buckled herself in the driver's seat, started her car, and drove towards her London flat.

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A/N: That's the first chapter all! Please review and let me know what you think!

Ms Alex James


	2. The Investigation

Disclaimer: I just finished checking, and I still don't own the world of Harry Potter… I'm working on it though…

A/N: Once I start working, and school, I'm not sure how quickly I'm going to be able to update, but if you review, I might be hard pressed to get one out quicker -hint hint-.

A/N2: I know this chapter jumps ahead a bit, but I want to get ahead a little bit quicker and get to the actual story…

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Chapter Two: The Investigation

**_June 1986_**

Severus Snape stalked through the halls, shooting glares at the First Years as they set about getting ready to board the train home. _The perfect end to a perfect year_, he thought, with a sneer on his face. Two First Years squeaked, and hurried in another direction.

Almost five years later, and he still had to deal with the Potters. Well, one in particular. The Headmaster wanted him to investigate the Potter brat, who had been removed from his Aunt's protection by the Muggles. After some investigation, it was discovered that he had been taken from Surrey almost a year prior. _How did he miss that?_ Severus thought, reaching his quarters. He quickly packed a travel bag, making sure he had his few articles of Muggle clothing. _Why can't he send someone else?_

As soon as he finished, Severus stalked back to the Headmaster's office, intending to get this over with.

* * *

Less than two hours later, Severus was standing in front of a small, quaint house in a nice area of London. He was dressed in a pair of black slacks and a black dress shirt. His long black hair was pulled back away from his face. Severus sighed, and then rang the doorbell. A moment later, the door opened, revealing a blond woman, with brown eyes, in her mid-twenties. She was wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, and a smile on her face.

"Hello, can I help you?"

Severus blinked. "Yes, my name is Severus Snape. I'm looking for Alannah Munroe."

"Well, you're in luck. You found her. Did you want to come in?"

"Yes, thank you."

Severus followed her through the house and into a sitting room. She waved him into a seat, and then offered him tea. He shook his head, looking around. There were pictures scattered around the room, in frames. There were three faces repeated in each one of them. A raven haired boy, a blond girl, and Miss Munroe.

"So, you were looking for me…?"

He turned his attention back to Miss Munroe. "Yes, I was. I work at a boarding school in Scotland. The Headmaster of the school asked me to inquire into the health of a boy that he was under the impression was in your care. Harry Potter was placed on our school list when he was born to attend our school once he reached the age of eleven. The Headmaster had been keeping his eye on the boy, checking in every once in a while, to make sure things were going okay with him. When he found out he was no longer under the care of his Aunt, the Headmaster asked me to come here and check up on him."

Miss Munroe sat back against the couch, but before she could open her mouth to reply, the front door opened, and two children came running into the sitting room. They both skidded to a stop upon seeing Severus. The blond girl stared at him with open curiosity, but the raven haired boy took a step closer to Miss Munroe, eyeing him with suspicion.

"Mr. Snape, these are my children, Harry and Alexis. Harry, Alexis, this is Mr. Snape. He just stopped in for a chat. Why don't you two run upstairs, change out of your school clothes, and then head to the kitchen. Snack is already sitting on the table. I'll be in once I finish up here, okay?"

The two children nodded, gave Severus one last look, then they turned around and ran out of the room. Once they left the room, Miss Munroe snapped her gaze back to Severus.

"Your Headmaster was making frequent checks into Harry's health, you say? Mr. Snape, I find that hard to believe. I made one check into his health when he started school, and less than six hours later, I had him in my care."

Severus opened his mouth, but Miss Munroe cut him off.

"No, I don't want to hear excuses. They will just waste my time. You go back to your Headmaster, and tell him that Harry is fine, healthy and happy. If he has any more questions, he may direct them to me personally."

"You adopted him?"

"Yes, I did, Mr. Snape. And I'm glad I did. His Aunt and Uncle treated him like a waste of space. In less than a year, since I met him, he has completely changed. It took a week for him to even say a word to me. They hardly ever fed him, Mr. Snape, had him in grungy clothes, when they could have easily had that remedied. I didn't see his smile for almost a month."

"And the other child, Alexis? Is she yours, or is she adopted too?"

"Both. I adopted her as well, so she is mine."

"And you are happy with this arrangement?"

"Of course I am, Mr. Snape…"

"Please, call me Severus."

She studied his face for a moment, their eyes meeting. Then she slowly nodded. "Severus. Yes, I am happy, as are my children. They are in need of nothing, and they make me smile just by seeing their smile. Do you have children?"

"No, I do not, Miss Munroe."

"Alannah. We might as well drop the formalities. You might not understand, if you do not have children of your own, but my happiness mostly depends on their happiness. If they are unhappy, I am as well. I would not change a thing about my life."

Severus nodded. "Then I will leave it at that for now, Alannah." He let the name roll over his tongue for a moment, keeping the smile off his face. "There is a possibility of my stopping in again at some point in the future. But if not, then it was a pleasure to meet you, and your children."

Severus stood up, took Alannah's hand briefly, then left the house, making his way back to Hogwarts, with a ghost of a smile on his face.

* * *

Once back in the safety of the school, Severus pushed the sneer on his face and made his way to the Headmaster's office.

After turning down the Sherbet Lemon, he quickly relayed his meeting with Alannah, and meeting both Harry and Alexis.

"Headmaster… while I expected to recognize the young Potter, I didn't expect to have any recognition at all of Alexis."

"Yes," he replied, his eye twinkling in his annoying way. "Many children lost their parents in the war, Severus. There are several whom were shuffled around in the Muggle community, and losing track of a few. My guess is that Alexis is one of them. There was more magic sensed in that house that could have been caused by Harry alone."

"With your permission, sir… I could go back and run a few tests on the children. Alexis mainly, but a quick check of Harry will confirm everything."

After a brief search of Severus' face, Albus Dumbledore smiled. "Yes, that might be best. You may return as you have the time. Is that everything?"

"Yes, Headmaster."

"Then you are free to begin your vacation."

"Thank you, Headmaster."

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A/N: Review!

Ms Alex James


	3. The Truth

Disclaimer: I checked my birth certificate just now, and it says that my name is not JK Rowling, so the world of Harry Potter does not belong to me… I'm actually sad about that… the prospects were looking up…

A/N: So, when I started writing this, I had no idea where it was going… at the end of the first chapter, I had an idea… Then, I started writing chapter two, got half way done, and changed my mind. So I deleted that chapter, and started it again, with it taking a turn in a different direction. By the end of chapter two, this story has started taking on a mind of its own… This is not how I pictured the story going when I first came up with the idea…

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Chapter Three: The Truth

Alannah sat outside on her back porch, watching her two children run around, kicking a ball. Her life changed drastically from the very first day she met Harry. Less than a month later, she met Alexis, while doing rounds in some of the foster homes. She stole her heart right from the very first moment. It took almost another month for that paperwork to go through, but once it did, and she had both children in her care, and this house in the outskirts of London, Alannah knew right then that there was no way she was letting either of them go.

She was drawn to these two lost souls, and she didn't want to fight it. She was a people person, always had been. She helped people, it was what she did. She knew that these two needed her help, and it wasn't one of those things that only took a few months… It was going to take their entire lives.

Once they were both adopted, it didn't take long for the three of them to fall into a role of a family. School, work, play, quiet time. And now that school was out for the summer, the next two months were filled with just the three of them.

She worked within the school system, so she had the summer holidays off. If it weren't for Harry and Alexis, she had no clue what she was going to do with her time. As it was, she had two birthdays to plan. Harry's was right at the end of July, and then two weeks later was Alexis' birthday. They were both turning six. The day of their actual birthdays, it was just going to be the three of them, but the day right in the middle of the two birthdays, she planned on having a birthday party for the both of them together, inviting their friends from school.

Her thoughts were pulled away from birthdays by the sound of the doorbell ringing.

She shook her head, then stood up. "Listen up, you two. I'm just going in to answer the door, okay?"

She waited for them both to nod before she smiled, and turned around, heading for the front door. She looked through the peep hole, then pulled back, slightly surprised. Severus Snape? What was he doing back? She hadn't planned on that one. The first time was a shock, but she thought she dealt with him. She didn't want to see any of them for a few more years yet, at least.

She knew that Harry and Alexis both were part of the magical world, knew it and had seen it. Their accidental magic was fierce at some points, and very advanced for their ages. Then again, thinking about it, Severus probably immediately reported back to his Headmaster after he left the week before. He's probably back to test Alexis. He would have already known about Harry. But Alexis was an unclear for them, at this point. Alannah sighed. She hoped against hope that Severus had not mentioned her name to the Headmaster. He would recognize it, she was sure. After all, she had spent quite a bit of time in his office while she had been a student at the school. Lily had made sure she was left out of more than a few of their school pranks, so that she could keep her record clear…

Then again, she wasn't associated with them too much, because she was two years behind them in school…

The doorbell rang again, and she sighed. _Well, its now or never… might as well get it over with_, Alannah thought, pulling the door open.

"Severus, what a pleasant surprise. Come on in."

She stepped aside to let him in, then shut the door behind him. She took a deep breath.

"I didn't expect to see you back so soon. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Yes, I was just wond—I have been thinking on it for the past week, trying to figure out why you looked so familiar."

Alannah closed her eyes. How could he possibly remember her? She never spent an extended amount of time around him, she spent most of her time in the common room, reading. She opened them back up, seeing Severus studying her face.

"You were friends with Lily Evans. You were at school with her."

Alannah sighed. "Yes, I was."

"So, you knew who Harry was before you decided to free him of his family."

"No. While this may sound hard to believe, I never once made that connection. And I had never met her family before the day I went to speak with her sister. It didn't click until his accidental magic kicked in. Shocked me, too. I know you're here to test Alexis as well, and don't bother. I can already tell you it's a yes on that score as well."

"So, if you're a witch, what are you doing here, in Muggle London?"

"After what happened to my parents, because of _him_, and then what happened to Lily, I left it all. I didn't want any part of it. I hadn't even heard that Lily had a child. We lost touch after she graduated. I fully expected to never have to deal with magic after I left. Now here I am, two magical children in my care, and I find myself forced to deal with it—when the time comes."

"Do you know anything of Alexis' parents?"

"No. Nothing more than their last name. Emerson."

Severus shook his head. "I've never even heard that name before. Do you plan on just ignoring the fact that you can introduce them to our world, before they start school?"

"Until you showed up, I thought it would be possible. Now I find myself second guessing my decision." Alannah walked past him and into the sitting room, sitting herself on one of the couches. She leaned back, and watched Severus sit himself on the couch across from her. "I don't know if I'm ready to place myself back in a world that caused me so much grief. Don't get me wrong, I want them to see everything, learn about who they are, and what they can do. I know I'm being selfish, and I don't seem very Gryffindor, but I can't help it."

"Is it because you don't want to reintroduce yourself, while having to introduce it to others at the same time? Because if that's the case, I would be willing to go with you and the children…"

"Why would you be willing to do that? I ran around with Lily up until she graduated. You never liked her, or the others…"

"My problem was not with Lily, you can be sure of that. My issues revolved around the other four. And I don't begrudge you for the past. It took me more than a few days to even recognize you in the first place."

Alannah took a moment to study Severus' face, looking for either a lie, or sentiments of the truth. When all she found was his usual passive demeanour, she sighed. She doubted she would ever figure him out.

"You would do that for me, and my children? Come with us to Diagon Alley? Why?"

"I find myself wondering that as well, to tell you the truth. But yet, still, I find myself wanting to do it. There are no ulterior motives behind my wanting to aid you in easing yourself, and Alexis and Harry, into our world. Yet, there is no reasoning I could give you, or myself, for that matter."

"I would greatly appreciate it, in that case. I'm not sure I could do it by myself."

Severus nodded. "I would be happy to help. In fact, there are a few things I need to pick up there anyways. Do you remember how to get to the Leaky Cauldron?"

"Yes."

"I can meet you there, say on Friday, at noon?"

"That sounds like a good plan, thank you."

"Of course. I'll be on my way then. I'll see you at noon on Friday."

* * *

A/N: Review! Let me know if I should even continue this one…

Ms Alex James


	4. Diagon Alley

Disclaimer: I don't own the world of Harry Potter… I just retreat to it. Alannah and Alexis, however, are mine. I can claim that much at least. I just don't make any money off of them, sad but true.

A/N: Wow, I officially have no clue where this story is going, because it ran away from me halfway through the third chapter. So, please, don't ask me what's ahead, or where it's going, it has a mind of its own. I don't have any clue at all.

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Chapter Four: Diagon Alley

For what seemed like the first time in his life, Severus found himself looking forward to Friday. The week seemed to go by slowly. He had a hard time concentrating on the essays sitting on his desk. Severus had to pull himself more than once from thoughts of his school days—more specifically, any memories he could find of Alannah.

When Friday finally came, he took extra caution on his wardrobe, taking care to wear muggle clothes, though if he kept this up, he would need to acquire more. At eleven-thirty, Severus floo'd to the Leaky Cauldron, then sat down to have a cup of tea. He watched the patrons, keeping his eye on the clock on the wall. Two minutes before noon, he stepped out into the sunshine, standing off to the side to watch for Alannah, Harry, and Alexis.

When he saw them walk down the street towards him, he took a few moments to watch them. Alannah was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, her blond hair pulled back in a braid down her back, sunglasses on her nose. She was listening to Alexis, to the left of her. Alexis walked, talking to Harry with a smile on her face. She was wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, with her hair pulled up in a ponytail. Harry, too, wore a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. He walked to the right of Alannah, listening to his sister talking, not putting in a word.

They stopped in front of him, with the children looking at him openly.

"Hello, Severus."

"Alannah, hope you had a good week?"

"Yes, I did, thank you. I'd like to get this over with, though, if you don't mind. I'm kind of nervous."

Severus smiled and nodded, gesturing them to follow him into the Leaky Cauldron. He lead them through, to they wall in behind. He stopped and turned to them.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley."

As they four of them strolled through the Alley, Severus and Alannah talked, but mostly Alannah looked around her. Harry and Alexis were pretty quiet, staring around them, trying to digest the Alley. It was a lot for a pair of six year olds to take in.

They stopped and browsed through most of the stores, especially the Pet Shop, and the Quidditch shop. Around two, they stopped for fudge Sundaes, where Alexis found her voice again. Harry managed to throw in a few comments, but preferred to sit and smile.

"Mum, can we still get a puppy for our birthday? Jenna doesn't believe we will."

Alannah laughed. "Don't worry yourself about that right now, Alexis. You will have to wait and see. There's still a month until your birthday."

Alexis nodded, then turned back to Harry, where they started a conversation about the Quidditch Shop and all the things they'd seen.

Severus and Alannah sat back and listened, finishing their Sundaes.

After they finished their ice cream, the four of them continued through the alley, stopping at the other stores. When they entered the toy store, Alexis and Harry promptly headed off in a random direction. The adults started after them, commenting on the toys that the children were pointing at.

If he thought about it, Severus had never actually entered this particular store, having never had any toys as a child. This made him think about his own childhood, trying to remember a time that he had been that carefree. He was raised in a Pureblood house, with his parents demanding obedience, not having much fun. This thought led him to wonder what exactly it was he was doing at the toy store at that moment. Then his thoughts moved to Alannah, the main reason he was here in the first place. He hadn't taken the time to get to know her in the time they spent at school, regardless of house rivalries. Both of her parents were purebloods, and very high society as well, if he remembered correctly. They were firmly on the Light side of the war that killed them.

In school, while it was true she was friends with Lily, and you could often see the two of them sitting and chatting, before James Potter had managed to get his grips on Lily—he never saw much of her roaming the halls in the evenings or weekends, and she was always glad to go home for vacations. Rumor had it, she was a very avid reader, as long as they weren't textbooks. You would often spot her in the library on weekends, browsing through the different volumes. She never caused any trouble on her own, but often found herself in detention or the Headmaster's office for missing curfew, or sticking up for a prank the Marauders had pulled. In his seventh year, she had been made a prefect, which he could remember. But after he graduated, he had lost track of all that was Hogwarts for a few years, until he came to the Headmaster for his help.

So if that were true, and he had only seen Alannah three times since they were in school, then why had he found himself in a toy store in Diagon Alley, with Alannah and her adopted children, thinking about her?

* * *

Two hours later, Severus found himself walking from the Muggle subway, with Alannah, Alexis, and Harry, heading for their house. She invited him in for tea, while the children ran upstairs to their rooms with their bags of things from the Alley. They sat and had pleasant conversation, not once bringing up the past. They talked about work, future goals, the Wizarding World at present. He was invited to stay for supper, which he accepted.

They worked side by side, making a dinner. He mostly cut things, and stirred pots, as he had never cooked a day in his life.

Once dinner was finished, and he helped clear away the table, Alannah sent the children upstairs to begin the bath and bed process. She walked Severus to the door.

"I can't tell you how much I appreciate today. They kids had fun. I had fun, as well. Thank you."

Severus smiled. "You repaid me with a pleasant day, and a meal. There is nothing more to repay me for. I would like to see you again, if that's okay?"

He watched as the grin came over her lips and spread to her eyes. "I would like that."

"I can owl you, or…?"

"An owl is fine."

"Then, I will take my leave, and I will hopefully see you soon."

* * *

A/N: Review!

Ms Alex James


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